Scars
by Hari-Aisu
Summary: It's what I've done that kills me inside. Can you forgive me, Kagome? Better yet, can I forgive myself...
1. Scars

**Author's Notes: Nope, this is no longer a song fic, so don't get your hopes up. It used to be a song fic, before I found out they were no longer aloud on this site, but do not fret. It's the same story as before, only now I have decided to go against the faction and turn this into a multi-chaptered story. Yay for you guys, sucks for me cause now I have to work. Grrr. Hopefully this will make sense without the lyrics. Email me or leave your email address if you want the _real _version of this little ficcy, and please leave a review even if you've read it before. Next chap will be coming _real _soon! I promise!**

_Italics: Flashback_

'Text': Kagome's thoughts

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and I do not own 'Scars' by Papa Roach. Now go read and review Mr. Whiney Pants.**

Excerpt From "Scars"

"I tear my heart open,

I sew myself shut!

And my weakness is…

That I care too much.

The scars remind me

That the past is real…

I tear my heart open

Just to feel."

**Scars**

**Chapter One: Scars**

Everything was still in the Sengoku Jedai. The air held a calming countenance within it, and no sounds could be heard from all around. No ominous figures were lurking through the forest's depths, nor were there any animals for miles...

Nothing, except for her.

There she stood, not a glimpse of emotion could be seen on her face. Azure blue eyes were for once empty of anything to do with life, but she did not care.

Not anymore.

Kagome sighed deeply as she walked onwards to the well. Her steps were cautious, and you could see a sadness in even her stance. Yet as she walked on towards her only escape from the Sengoku, only one thought resonated from inside her mind.

'Why?'

There it lay in front of her.

Her well.

One leap was all it would take, and all of this would be behind her.

Her life.

Her pain.

Her heart.

Before Kagome could finish her thought however, she blindly clutched her arm before she suddenly hissed out in pain. As Kagome let go of her arm, a small amount of blood seeped through her shirt's sleeve and slowly trailed down her arm.

'Why?'

Pain was the only thing she could feel anymore. But that was alright...

At least she felt something!

Pain was the only emotion that came without strings attached. It was the only feeling she could embrace without a second thought...

And she welcomed it.

"_Inuyasha!"_

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut as she took in a deep breath and kept walking forward in albeit a much slower pace.

'It's over, so stop thinking about it Kagome!'

"_Inuyasha, please! Just stop it! JUST STOP IT! DON'T DO THIS, PLEASE!"_

Kagome stumbled forward before she unceremoniously hit the unforgiving ground. She coughed up a bit of dust, not noticing the splatter of blood that came along with it.

'He... he needed me. And I was stupid enough to just come to him!'

'He asked me to come back. I thought... I thought that... No. I can't. I don't **want** to remember.'

'I wanted to him. To make him better. I loved him, damn it! Why wasn't that enough?'

"_I wanted you to be here Kagome..."_

_Crystal azure eyes met amber as Kagome glanced up at the Inu-hanyou curiously._

"_Really Inuyasha? Why... ?"_

"He seemed... so sincere..."

Kagome trembled as the winds cold breeze harshly hit her body. Kagome coughed once again, as she felt a small amount of bile rise up in her throat.

"Why did you do this to me, Inuyasha?"

'Why... why, why, why, WHY!'

A dry sob escaped Kagome's lips as she shuttered against the wind's heavy chills. Kagome picked herself up and began walking, but at this point it was more of a slow limp.

But she didn't care.

It didn't matter much anymore. And maybe, if she just kept telling herself that...

Kagome would eventually believe it too.

But the past was the past. That was all it would ever be now. As soon as she got to the well, everything would get better.

But...

She was so tired...

Kagome stopped herself mid-stumble. Her cerulean eyes fluttered shut as she flopped onto the ground. As her body once again crashed onto the forest floor, Kagome grasped her ribs as she gasped in sudden pain.

And if you looked closely enough, you could almost make out the blood soaked bandages...

"_Inuyasha, I..."_

"So stupid! I was just... Agh!"

"_How... why... Inuyasha. You know I love you... You **know.**"_

"Loved you. I **loved **you."

"Why did you do this to me Inuyasha? All I did was try to love and protect you. That's all I did! So, why?"

Kagome's half sobs stabbed the quiet like a knife. No sounds could be heard except for her soft cries... and the sound of liquid splattering on the grassy floor.

_Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she took in the sight before he._

_No... he couldn't have..._

_Her fingers twitched in agony as the blood poured from her body in small streams and onto the grassy plain. It hurt..._

_It hurt._

_Kagome slowly tilted her head up as she looked into the eyes that had once held her love, but could now be considered nothing but a stony gaze of red._

_Before Kagome could realize what she was doing, she leapt up and grabbed onto the person in front of her and kissed him desperately. Her heart finally reached its breaking point when he didn't even respond._

_And that was one of her last memories of him, along with the unsettling image of his eyes._

_His blood red eyes._

Kagome just continued to cry as she thought back at their time spent together before this whole incident even took place. She really should have saw it coming.

He had practically announced what he had wanted from her since the beginning of the quest...

She had tried so hard in reaching out to him and grabbing him before he got too deep into the darkness that was power, but she had failed.

'I guess I wasn't as strong as I thought I was. I guess... he didn't care as much as I thought he did. It's too bad really...'

Her eyes once again clouded over with more unshed tears, but those were nothing compared to the unadulterated pain she now had to carry on her shoulders.

"I tried so hard for you Inuyasha..."

"_Just tell me now, while you're brain is still at least partially functional, why? Why did you bring me here? Why did you make me believe, for even a second, that you actually cared? Why, Inuyasha, WHY!"_

_Inuyasha just continued to stare unemotionally into the eyes that he had so painfully scarred. The silence was nothing compared to the pain..._

_He didn't even feel regret._

"_Inuyasha..."_

"_This is the way it has to be Kagome. This is the way..."_

'But you never answered me Inuyasha. You never told me why...'

"_Fine then." _

_Kagome stared coldly into his eyes and for once say she felt absolutely nothing for the hanyou... no, **youkai **in front of her. She had given him everything that she could, but in the end it meant nothing._

_She meant nothing._

Kagome finally picked herself up once again and wobbly stood up, the blood all over her body re-emerging with a vengeance.

The slimy, crimson substance was surrounded her every limb, but the pain was more palpable in the young girl's mind. It hurt just to be awake.

"_Ahhh!"_

_Kagome fell onto the ground as she dodged another swipe aimed towards her body._

"_Inuyasha... ?"_

"_Just give up the jewel Kagome, and... and I won't have to hurt you!"_

"_NO!"_

'Just a little bit more...'

"_I... Kagome... I'm... "_

_The tears burned tracks down her cheeks as the miko's breaths came in short pants. But none of it was as bad as the pain... and the blood. She was positive the fact that the blood on his hands was hers hurt the most in her heart._

"_No... You're not."_

'Step... breathe... step... breathe... step...-'

"Woah-!"

Kagome once again staggered onto the ground in shame. She just couldn't...

The blood... the wounds... the **scars...**

The pain.

"I lost my heart... since it was yours all along Inuyasha."

_He couldn't take it. She knew it. She could see it in his eyes. With each drop of blood that fell from her body, a part of him died._

_But if that was so... why?_

"Why, indeed."

_His grasp fell onto the jewel, but he said nothing. He looked down upon her partially mutilated body, but he felt nothing. _

_And that was how he left her..._

_With nothing._

"It's been eight days since then, and it still hurts... but maybe... maybe that's ok.

Her heart was in so much pain, but that was not completely bitter. It showed her something.

Her heart was still beating, and that's what made it ok.

"All I need is to be alone, in my own time. If I have that..."

Kagome's legs cried out in pain as she got up and stumbled on forward.

"Only a couple of steps... you can do it Kagome."

But before she could even take another step, a figure leapt in front of her and blocked her path.

Kagome immediately stumbled back before a hand tightly- almost painfully- grasped her wrist.

Her eyes widen as she finally took in the person in front of her.

"Inuyasha."

"What do you want? Haven't you done enough to me as it is?"

The whisper was empty in itself, but they did hold a deeper meaning. It wasn't just a question of what he wanted, but...

'What else can you possibly take from me?'

They both stared into each other's eyes for what seemed liked eons, but was only a few minutes. As Kagome continued to weakly tug her hand away from the strong grip, the grasp on her wrist slowly loosened.

"What... what do you want, Inuyasha?"

A raspy voice cut through the hazy part of her mind that was so filled with pain, and rang incessantly in her ears. This was his voice now...

But...

It just wasn't the same.

"You... you wanted to know... why."

Kagome's eyes got twenty times wider as his response hung in the air. What would he say?

"I... I want to tell you, but I can't. I'm... I'm sorry."

"You're... what? You're WHAT! How can you even look me in the eye and just say SORRY and expect everything to be ok? Did turning full youkai impair your intelligence as well?"

With strength unknown, Kagome ripped her arm from the now youkai Inuyasha's grasp and glared at him with an anger so fierce, even she wondered where it came from.

"Don't you dare give me such a half-assed sentiment to believe. I thought... I thought I deserved better than what you did to me, Inuyasha. I loved you... I did..."

'I loved him... and maybe... maybe I still do.'

"Inuyasha..."

Her eyes were no longer empty, but a sad resolution had finally come upon them. She could no longer help him, no matter how hard she tried to.

'How I wish I could... you really deserved better, Inuyasha.'

'I can't put this off anymore.'

"I guess this is the last goodbye I'll ever have to give you."

"Kagome... "

"Just... don't Inuyasha. Please, don't."

"Then... goodbye Kagome. Have a nice life."

Kagome stayed silent as she now looked past the former hanyou and at the well which held her beloved future.

No longer would time be an obstacle. No longer would a hanyou torment her incessantly. No longer would her heart be betrayed.

No longer would these scars bother her so.

'These scars... will they truly never bother me again? Or will they simply haunt me forever?'

Her hands came upon the rim of the well as she held onto it as tightly as possible.

One jump was all it would take.

One jump...

One...

Kagome slowly gathered her legs over the well, careful not to injure herself further. Her knuckles turned a blinding white as she instinctively tightened her hold on the rim.

'Please let me through.'

Kagome spared one last glance at the man who had given her a reason to live to have then taken that reason away. The man she had loved so faithfully for so many years.

One glance...

Now jump.

'Huh?'

Kagome blinked tiredly as she suddenly felt suspended in mid-air. She looked up and gasped as she stared into a pair of familiar **golden **eyes.

He whispered something in her ear and smiled gently before he let her go...

Once and for all.

Kagome stared up at the ceiling of the well house in shock as she laid on the dirt floor in exhaustion. The tears just continued to pour down her face as the blood continued to flow freely throughout her body. But that didn't matter at the moment.

'He said...'

"He said he loved me."

Owari

"**_Why_** wasn't I good enough? Or did the insecurity lie in you…"

**_-Kagome_**


	2. Ohio is for Lovers

Authors Notes: Gah! Oh boy, who wants to skin me alive right now... ((watches everyone who is still even reading raise their hand)) Aww... Ano. This is a cry for help. If you guys want to see chapter four, I'm gonna need some help. My creative juices are barely non existent! I don't want to sound like one of those annoying authors who don't know what the hell they're doing, but I can't help it! Tell me in a review if you want to help dear Hari-chan with this damn story. I need all the help I can get. But you do get this nice, extremely different and better chapter two! (Read it, it's waaaaaay better!)

Disclaimer: ((Blink, Blink)) Um... yeah. I don't own the anime/manga, nor do I own the song. Obviously. So STOP TORTURING ME ABOUT IT!

**_Italics/Bold: Voice _**

_Italics: Flashback_

'Blah': Thoughts

Excerpt from "Ohio is For Lovers" by Hawthorne Heights

" So cut my wrists and black my eyes-

(Cut my wrists and black my eyes!)

So I can fall asleep tonight

Or die.

Because you kill me;

You know you do,

You kill me well…

You like it too and I can tell.

You never stop until…

My final breath is gone."

**Scars**

Chapter Two: Ohio is For Lovers

Amber eyes peered into the Bone Eater's Well as the blue glow of the Sengoku Jedai's only portal to the past closed once and for all. Should he feel angry? Sad? Relieved, even? He had thought that once he became full youkai, he wouldn't have to deal with any sort of emotion at all. Yet he felt it all with such vigor, that the intensity of it all almost scared him. Yet he did feel one emotion above them all, amazingly…

Hatred.

Not for Kagome, of course. Oh Kami, he could never hate Kagome, no matter what form he was in. No… that hatred was only towards himself. Amber then bled red as a growl reverberated in his throat. The bitter taste of regret consumed his soul as a pair of razor claws gripped tightly on the well's rim. But what was the use of feeling bad for what had happened? Nothing could change his fate now.

Ironically, that didn't really make Inuyasha feel any better.

The youkai scoffed at himself as he glared down at the well. He raised his right hand, ready to destroy the last link to his past-

"_Inuyasha!"_

Inuyasha stiffened as a voice echoed in his ears, a voice he would most likely never truly hear again… Inuyasha put down his clawed hand and backed away from the well with a clouded look in his blood like eyes.

'This place is stupid anyway…'

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Kagome couldn't stop crying.

Her hands couldn't stop shaking, her breaths continued to come out unevenly, but she just couldn't stop crying. A pair of golden amber eyes, bright as the sun in the breaking of dawn, appeared in her mind's eye as she tried to compose herself. Those beautiful, expressive eyes…

How could they hurt her so?

Kagome didn't know. All she knew was that she couldn't stop crying and that she was in so much pain, it felt as if she were ready to burst.

Kagome gasped in pain as she tried to get up from her spot on the dirty, cold ground. Her legs were now even more scratched up than before and the fading scars were now covered in new blood. Just looking at her own body made her want to wretch.

'How am I going to get out of here?!' Kagome silently panicked. Blue eyes searched around the well for anything that could possibly help her up, but she knew that was futile considering she was in a **well** and the rope was a good three or four feet above her. She reached up and tried to grab the rope, but gave up quickly. The pain was just too much to bear…

Kagome shook her head, trying in vain to ignore the throbbing behind her eyes and cleared her voice the very best she could. "Help!"

It came out as more of a whispered plea, but Kagome wasn't deterred in the least. Kagome cringed in discomfort as she stretched her throat and pulled herself up as much as she could. "Somebody, please help!"

"Kagome?" A young boy's voice reached over the well as Kagome saw her little brother's face peak over the rim. Brown eyes widened as the light from the open door reached over and lit the darkened tunnel only to reveal just what kind of state the young girl was in.

"Jii-chan! KAA-SAN! Come quick, Kagome's hurt!"

That was all Kagome heard before she passed out on the ground below her.

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Blue eyes wearily blinked open as the early morning rays of sunshine hit them gently. Kagome sighed as she carefully got out of bed and limped towards her window in dismay. Three weeks had passed since the "incident" as Kagome had dubbed it in her mind. Kagome had been completely knocked out for two of those three weeks. It had been very discomforting to wake up in a hospital bed after everything she had been through…

"_Mmmm…" A groan escaped the mouth of the former protector of the Shikon no Tama as a pair of azure eyes slowly blinked open. Bright lights invaded the young woman's vision as Kagome brought a hand up to lessen the vibrant glow. _

_"I see you're awake, young lady. You gave us quite a scare."_

_An unfamilar voice broke through the distortion as Kagome finally realized just where she was..._

_"A... hospital?" Kagome weakly questioned as she took in her surroundings. White impaled the walls as an aging man Kagome assumed was her doctor stood patiently in front of her. The young woman blinked wearily as she hugged herself self conciously. "How did I get here?"_

_"You were brought in by your family. They said you fell down the well at your shrine, but... to be frank, Kagome, a lot of these wounds don't look they just appeared from a fall. I don't want to be to presumptuos in asking, but... were you attaked, Kagome? Did someone **do **something to you before you fell into the well?" The doctor eyed Kagome carefully, as if staring at her would pry the truth out of her. Kagome swallowed imperceptively and nodded her head in the negative. _

_'Liar...' _

_"Can I see my family?" Kagome asked suddenly as she looked expectantly up at the doctor. This seemed to signify the end of the discussion. The doctor looked hesitant in answering, but realized that no matter what he said next, this young girl wouldn't budge in her answer. Kagome just seemed to radiate stubborness. He sighed as he reluctantly gave into the girl's wishes._

_"I'll send them right in."_

'I am so in over my head...' Kagome thought wearily as she rubbed her forehead in exhaustion. What was she going to do...

"Kagome? Are you alright, sweet heart?" Higurashi-san stood patiently at the door as she watched her daughter in worriment. Kagome straightened immediately and smiled plastically.

"I'm fine, okaa-san. Just still a little tired." Kagome answered. She had yet to answer any of their questions, though. In fact, Kagome had pretty much dodged any question towards her injuries and Inuyasha since she had woken from her "deep sleep."

_"Kagome, you scared us so much! What happened, onee-chan?" Souta gazed at his sister with teary, worried eyes as he patiently awaited her response. Kagome opened her mouth to answer, but then closed it immediately after. She just couldn't tell them what really happened... It would break poor Souta's heart to know just what his hero had become..._

_"I... was attacked by a random youkai on my way to the well and just managed to stumble into the well before it could get me. That's all." Souta and her jii-chan seemed to accept this answer fairly well, albeit hesitantly, but her mother narrowed her eyes in the slightest of ways, and Kagome knew she didn't believe a word of what she had said. _

_It didn't matter though, because Kagome refused to breathe a word of what really happened. And that's how it would stay._

Kagome sighed as she clenched her fists in frustration. Higurashi-san frowned silently, but exited her daughter's room without another word. There was an air around Kagome that seemed... off to say the least. The older woman wanted to say something, but knew her daughter wouldn't say anything in this frame of mind. All she could do was wait and hope Kagome knew just what she was doing.

'Please be okay Kagome...'

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_"Inuyasha, please, just stop it! You know you don't have to do this!" Kagome's azure blue eyes welled up with unshedded tears as she pleaded with this new version of Inuyasha. The hanyou lowered his head in shame as he lifted his clawed hand, albeit hesitantly..._

A sharp drag of a clawed hand ran across a wrist as a pair of amber eyes bled crimson. A drop of the knees, and Inuyasha was on the ground. A lost look laid within his eyes, along with the blood red.

_He stared down at his claws as the smell of her blood permiated into his ever sensitive nostrils. He then looked down upon the young woman who he had sworn to protect as she cradled her injured arm against her chest. The shocked look in her eyes hurt more than any attack ever could. _

_Just what did he just do... ?_

Inuyasha stared at the slashes upon his wrist as the pain ebbed away and the cuts healed themselves over. It was in these weaker moments that Inuyasha was able to reflect upon the pain he inflicted on not only Kagome, but himself as well. His eyes closed in agony as a wave of guilt washed over him. When the feelings got too intense, they sometimes drove him to do crazy things...

Like say... mutilate yourself for instance.

But may be if he kept cutting upon himself, he might be able to destroy this wretched body and meet her in the next life. Soul clean and ready for a new start, with her by his side.

_"Kagome, just please give me the damn_ _jewel. Please..." Kagome looked torn as she looked down at the jewel and then up at Inuyasha. She wished she could give him what he wanted, but she had a duty to uphold. One that was even above her love for the half demon in front of her. _

_Kagome, already drowsy from the loss of so much blood continued to hold on to the jewel in resilience. The young miko looked at Inuyasha in defiance and stubbornly shook her head._

_He'd have to kill her first._

_And with that came the beginning of the end._

"Kagome..."

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Kagome sighed as she continued to sit on her window ledge, with only nostalgia accompanying her. Memories of the past flooded into her mind as she thought back on the more innocent days where it was just her and her hanyou...

How she missed her home.

_**Enough.**_

Kagome jumped up in surprise as a deep voice rang within her ears. Kagome looked around the room in surprise as fear began to creep into her mind. "Who are you? What do you want?" No one seemed to be in the room...

'Damn it!'

_**I did not know you knew of such words, Kagome. Were you not the innocent one in your little rag tag group?**_

Kagome blinked wondering if she had said anything outloud. She winced onced she realized she hadn't. This thing could read her mind and knew her name. This was bad.

Really bad.

_**Sit down Kagome. We have much to discuss. **_

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_"Inuyasha, what are you planning to do now that the jewel __is finished?" Inuyasha glanced over at Kagome as she kept her head down and continued to look towards the ground. It was moments like these when he was able to reflect upon just how vulnerable Kagome actually was. _

_"You know what I want with the jewel, Kagome. That hasn't changed in the slightest." The young miko's eyes glistened for a split second before she nodded in comprehension. _

_Yet... something seemed off. He brushed off the feeling once Kagome picked her head up and ran ahead towards the well with a smile on her face. If only he knew..._

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_A now youkai Inuyasha blinked as a partially mutilated Kagome stared up at him from the ground in pain and shock. He had done it. His wish had finally been granted. _

_But no wish came from the Shikon no Tama without a price._

_He was such a fool..._

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Kagome closed her eyes in confusion as she thought back on what the ghostly voice had just informed her.

"What?"

If mysterious voices could sweat drop, she was pretty sure hers would be beyond the point of it. A pause made its way into the uncomfortable conversation as the voice once again repeated itself.

_**Kagome, you and Inuyasha are meant to be. **_

Kagome only blinked in response.

_**I promise it's true. I would not dare torture you with such lies. **_

Kagome hesitated before allowing herself to speak. "That's impossible... he made his own choice with his future. If anyone destroyed what we had, it was him. His future is set..."

'As is mine.'

_Amber eyes looked directly into her own oceanic gaze as the youkai held tightly onto her wrist. _

_"I love you, Kagome."_

"Even if what you say is true, how can we be together? He's in his time, and I'm in mine. I can't go back there with the Shikon no Tama, and I doubt he would like to come here. Even if he could. We obviously didn't stand much of a chance from the start." Kagome laid down upon her bed and stared into a picture she had taken of both herself and her hanyou in his original form a couple months back.

**Do not worry Kagome... everything shall be set right...**

The voice gently faded from her mind as Kagome was once again left with her own thoughts. Was she going crazy? Kagome sighed in exasperation as she turned to her window and looked towards the well house in pure longing.

'Inuyasha...'

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_"Inuyasha? Come on, Inuyasha! You know I hate it when you try to sneak up on me!" Kagome pouted cutely as she stared out into the forest expanse. Where was he anyway!? _

_"Gah!" Kagome jumped as she felt someone land behind her. She whirled around and smiled at the hanyou who now stood in front of her. An 'osuwari!' had been on the tip of her tongue, but that rosary had been taken off months ago. "Hey, I was calling you just now- Inuyasha? What's the matter? Are you ok?"_

_Amber eyes simply stared at her, detached from reality. His eyes... _

_They looked so cold..._

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Trees.

He was surrounded by trees.

Why?

_**Would you rather be dead?**_

Inuyasha blinked groggily as he sat up. He looked down at his chest only to find that his latest attempt at suicide had been thawrted yet again. Not even a scar to show for all his trouble. He couldn't even kill himself correctly.

How pathetic.

_**You really are a moron. Are you just going to try to ignore me again? I'm not going to go away anytime soon.**_

Inuyasha closed his eyes, trying to will the ghostly voice away from him once again. It had haunted him for the past two weeks, trying to get him to go through the well. He doubted that would be happening any time soon. Damn annoying voices.

_**Why do you insist on denying yourself your own basic needs? You really will die if you do not go to her...**_

"What's the point?! She hates me anyway! She hates..." What had started as an angry scream simmered to a frustrated whisper dramatically. Tears clouded over his red tinted eyes for the first time in a long time. Something inside of Inuyasha had finally broken, and he just couldn't take it anymore.

'Not without her...'

_**Go see her...**_

A grimace carved itself over Inuyasha's lips as he looked out towards the horizon. He would see her, beg for her forgiveness and then they would live happily ever after. Inuyasha sweat dropped as he gingerly scratched his head. Or something like that would happen anyway. Why did he have such a bad feeling about this again?

'Maybe because you betrayed her trust, stole the Shikon no Tama from her and harmed her physically and emotionally in the process. Let's not mention probably scarring her for life from the whole experience.'

Inuyasha looked down at the ground and sighed in exasperation.

"Something tells me it would have been just easier killing myself."

Owari

(End of Chapter)


	3. Carousel

Author's Notes: Sorry about the wait, hope you enjoy the chapter, and please enjoy and review.

Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha, don't own the song "Carousel" by Blink-182 and that's pretty much it!

**_Italics/Bold: Voice_**

_Italics: Flashback_

'Blah': Thoughts

Excerpt from "**Carousel**":

"**I talk to you every now and then  
I never felt so alone again  
I stop to think at a wishing well  
My thoughts send me on a _carousel_****  
Here I am standing on my own  
Not a motion from the telephone  
I know not a reason why  
Solitude's a reason to die"**

"Mama, I'm home!" Silence greeted Kagome as she searched around the house for someone… anyone…

Kaogme sighed as she shook her head. What did she expect, for her family to burst out from a hiding place if she stood her long enough? Kagome rapped her knuckles to her head in exasperation and made her way towards her room. She opened her door without a single ounce of hesitation and gasped with what she was greeted with.

'Oh my God…'

Her desk was overturned and clawed up into practically dust, her papers were shredded and scattered across various parts of her room, her bed was completely disheveled, not at all how she kept it. But the worse part of the room was her mirror… it was completely decimated.

"What the… ?" Kagome could only stand in fear as her mind still tried to register just what the hell happened. Kagome took one step forward then stumbled in surprise. She looked down to see what she had tripped over only to once again gasp in shock and her azure blue eyes widened at the object in her line of vision. "Tetsuisga…"

Kagome grabbed the sword which still lay in its scabbard as she clutched it close to her chest. He had been here…

A horrible feeling welled up in her chest as she once again stared at the destroyed sight which at one time had been her room. Kagome closed her eyes as the tears spilled over from her eyelids in fear. Not fear for herself, she wasn't afraid of Inuyasha in any form he was in. Besides, she had had a feeling this would have happened… if only…

No. She couldn't change the past. But the future lay wide open for the both of them. And she would grasp it with both hands and never let him go.

"Just come back to me…"

------------------

Inuyasha gasped in pain as he clutched his head. What the hell… ?

He sighed as he stood up and looked around his environment. All he remembered was jumping into the well in hopes of getting through… then darkness. The Goshimboku stood proudly behind him, the green leaves transforming into rusty reds and golden yellows. It was the only symbol one such as him could hold onto…

A sharp piercing pain pricked at his palm as Inuyasha warily looked at his hand. His eyes widened as mutilated flesh and bloodied glass sparkled in the mid-afternoon sunlight. Inuyasha shook his head as sniffed the air and ran off in search for the nearest stream he could find.

Just what the hell did he do?

The former hanyou came to a halting stop as he stooped down and began to roughly wash his hand in the icy cold stream. He ignored the slight pain and only concentrated on getting his wounds clean, but after a moment, his reflection caught his eye.

Silver hair, tattoo markings on his cheeks, blood red irises covered by an amber gold coloring… suddenly someone else was there in his stead.

"Kagome…"

He didn't hurt her… did he?

He had to check.

"Shit!" Inuyasha cursed loudly as he thought back on what he could remember, but still, nothing came to mind. What if he blacked out again? Was it truly worth the risk? Inuyasha blinked as he thought back on his miko.

Like hell it was.

------------------

It was dark.

Good. That meant that she was probably sleeping.

Inuyasha crept his way around the shrine as he effortlessly jumped up the Goshimboku and looked inside her window. Yup, she was asleep. Inuyasha jumped to the window as carefully as possibly and soundlessly crept inside the room.

She still kept it open for him…

The youkai stalked towards the young miko's bed and gently knelt on the floor. For the moment, her back was towards him, but he didn't mind. Oh, how he would savor this time with her, but he knew… he knew this would only hurt him later on.

He could already feel the numbing pain settle in the back of his mind-

The young girl shifted suddenly in her sleep and turned to face her former protector. Inuyasha's eyes widened in shock as he saw what she held clutched in her arms…

'How the Hell did she get Tetsuiaga!' Inuyasha looked down at her serene face and felt some of his anxiety melt away. She just looked so damn calm…

He couldn't take it anymore. He had to touch her, feel her, something! His hand tingled as he came in contact with his hand. How he had missed her.

_"And if I said I love you, would you hold that against me?" A red faced Kagome silently stared up at Inuyasha as his jaw dropped to the ground unceremoniously. _

_What did she just say! _

_Before he could respond, Kagome shook her head and turned away from him. If only she could be stronger… _

He would always treasure any memories that held her within them…

Except for one.

**_You know it will never go away… but you don't understand yet. You have not even come close to understanding the true dilemma, have you? Inuyasha, before you can be redeemed, you must first comprehend. _**

Inuyasha blinked as the voice once again crept in his head. A questioning look built itself on the youkai's face as he continued to stroke Kagome's hair.

'What do you mean?'

The voice said nothing more.

'What do you mean!'

Kagome sighed as she moved closer to Inuyasha's hand. Inuyasha blinked, but then gave a bittersweet smile as he gently laid his forehead on Kagome's and closed his amber eyes.

If only she knew how much he still cared, how sorry he was to have hurt her, then maybe, just maybe…

No. She could never forgive him.

Never.

Forgiveness could never be given to one such as him. He deserved a fate worse than death for what was done to this vibrant and pure girl.

**'She can never forgive you…' **

Inuyasha shook his head and silently climbed on Kagome's bed. He had to hold her, if only to reassure himself that she was fine and that he was here and for the time being everything would be **ok. **

'I know she hates me.'

Kagome gently squirmed under his embrace, but did not wake. So he would sleep… at least, for awhile.

------------------

Kagome woke up to an empty feeling in her chest. Something was wrong…

She looked around her room, but she saw nothing out of the ordinary except…

The window.

It was open.

Kagome jumped out of bed and ran to her window, wishing to see the form of red she had been waiting for the past month, but was met with the same scenery as always.

If only she had been there a second earlier…

"I'll still wait for you…"

------------------

She was sleeping again. But it was a different kind of sleep. Not the fitful kind where she would gently smile and her breathing would soothe the room into a serene silence. No, this was a sleep infested with nightmares and winces.

Nightmares caused because of him.

Inuyasha sighed as he stood from the branches of the Goshimboku and swung himself into the small room which held his love. He practiced his now, night time routine and walked towards Kagome's bed and knelt in front of her. He placed a hand on her head to pacify her and was no longer as surprised as he had been all those weeks ago when she began to immediately calm down.

The youkai sighed as he got up from where he was and stared down at her still form. In his eyes, she would always be at the center of who he truly was and what he truly yearned to be. Too bad he hadn't known that when he had made that stupid wish on the Shikon no Tama. Too bad she couldn't know that now.

A surge of anger welt up inside of his soul as he thought about the circumstances that had pulled them apart. Things he had done to pull them apart, really. She would always hate him, so what was the use of trying to ask for her forgiveness?

No, this arrangement would suit him just fine.

And maybe, if he kept telling himself this, he would actually begin to believe it too...

Morning would come soon and he would have to leave her side once again. A time he simply dreaded of course. The hardest part of coming here, into her room in the middle of the night while she slept, was always convincing himself that she didn't want to see him. That she hadn't had to be "sacrificed" for his newfound power. When he stood next to her like this, with Kagome locked away in her land of dreams, it was hard to believe that she couldn't possibly forgive him for all the things he had done to her.

Inuyasha would always have second thoughts about leaving, and often wondered what it would be like to have her open her eyes and see him for who he was... not what he was.

Never what.

But who was he kidding? He didn't stand a chance...

**_Who would have thought it. The almighty Inuyasha is once again running away from his past. What a shocker. I guess he really is a coward in disguise._**

Inuyasha clenched his fists as the voice penetrated his thoughts without abandon. But who was he to prove the voice wrong? It was right, and he knew it.

'She deserves better... better than me...'

**_Even if that means that the both of you are to bemiserable and lonely at the same time? Gee, that's really proving a point!_**

Amber eyes softened asInuyasha looked down at Kagome in anguish. Even if she could forgive him...

Could he forgive himself?

Before Inuyasha could stop himself, the words spilled from his mouth, and he spoke in front of Kagome's presence for the first time in overthree and a half months. "Kagome...I know you can't hear me but please believe me when I say... I do love you. Wait for me, if you can."

Kagome gently smiled in her sleep as she shifted slightly. Inuyasha could only stare in awe at the beautiful figure before him. She was...

Gorgeous.

Oh, how he wanted what only she give. Kagome was the only one who could free him from this curse... but he wouldn't allow her to. After what he did to her, he did not deserve to be redeemed. No matter what the stupid voice thing said.

'Or can I... ?'

Inuyasha shook his head as he turned towards the window, once again lost in thought. So lost in thought in fact, he didn't notice the speeding up of a heartbeat or the opening of a pair of drowsy, azure blue eyes.

Kagome blinked lazily as she quietly stretched and turned her head to the side only to be greeted with-

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha's gold and crimson eyes turned towards the young girl in shock before he suddenly prepared to leap out the window. A raspy, sleepy voice stilled him in his tracks as the a shout cracked through out the morning strewn room.

"Wait!"

Kagome scrambled out of bed and carefully as Inuyasha stood still, completely frozen in shock. She walked behind him and cautiously put a hand on his arm as she heard him gulp in silent excitement.

"We need to talk."


	4. Who I Am Hates Who I

Author's Notes: So... was I missed? Ha. Good news: Scars is all rough drafted and ready to be put out to the masses. Bad news: Still a bit needs to be written and revised, including earlier chapters. Yay. Any takers for helpers? Pouts

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha (Duh) and I do not own "Who I am Hates Who I've Been" by Relient K. (Aren't they a Christian rock group?) -.-; Double Duh.

_**Italics/Bold: Voice**_

_Italics: Flashback_

'Blah': Thoughts

Excerpt from "Who I am Hates Who I've Been" by Relient K

"Because I don't want you to know where I am,

Cause then you'll see my heart

In the saddest state it's ever been…

This is no place to try and live my life.

Stop right there!

That's exactly where I lost it…

See that line?

Well, I never should have crossed it.

Stop right there!

Well I never should have said that-

It's the very moment that I

Wish that I could take back."

**Scars**

Chapter Four: Who I am Hates Who I've Been

"We need to talk."

The same four words echoed in Inuyasha's head repeatedly as he stared into Kagome's very awake blue eyes. A tense silence overcame the room as the former hanyou tightened his grip on the window ledge, hoping this was nothing but a very bad daydream. Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it immediately after. Her jaw clenched in anticipation as she began her 'interrogation.' "How long have you been doing this?"

Inuyasha stayed silent as he continually stared at the young women in front of him. When she had been sleeping, covered with the blanket, he had not noticed the many scars along her body. It was pretty hard not to see them now, her standing in front of him wide awake and just a tank top and shorts as pajamas.

'I did that to her…' he thought. 'I did all of that to her, without a moment's hesitation.'

Inuyasha internally shuddered at the implications the visual of the scars aroused. If he did it without thinking the first time, he could do it again without a second thought…

"Inuyasha?" Kagome questioned. His silence bothered her as well as the strength of his gaze. She looked down and finally realized just what he was staring at.

'My scars...' Kagome shook her head and turned around, grabbing a robe to cover her exposed body. At this, Inuyasha snapped out his reverie and simply stared at the young woman in front of him. His hand shook involuntarily as she hesitantly took one step forward. "I asked you a question, Inuyasha." Kagome quietly whispered.

Inuyasha gulped as the familiar tingle of spiritiual energy began to crawl up his spine. Blue eyes awaited in front of him as he tried to pull himself together. "Some couple of weeks..." Came Inuyasha's own quiet reply. The youkai hung his head as he waited for his judgement. A searing pain thumped in the back of his head as the spiritual energy expanded from just a tingle to something larger...

"Why?" Inuyasha's breathing halted as he stared at the ground in unknown fascination. Crimson eyes narrowed in response. "You know why Kagome."

Kagome quickly closed her eyes as she thought back...

_Kagome blinked tiredly as she suddenly felt suspended in mid-air. She looked up and gasped as she stared into a pair of familiar __**golden **__eyes. He whispered something in her ear and smiled gently before he let her go..._

_"I love you..."_

"I don't know for sure, Inuyasha. Do you usually betray and attack people you supposedly love?" Kagome coldly stated. Inuyasha took in a shuttering breath as his eyes fluttered close.

"It was an accident, Kagome, I swear. I didn't... I didn't want to hurt you!" Inuyasha pleaded quietly. Kagome shook her head as she took a step closer to the youkai in question.

"No, Inuyasha. You did what you **thought** had to do. Really, how can you stand there and proclaim you care after doing something like that to me? How dare you... I loved you, Inuyasha. I almost died trying to protect you from... from **this thing **you've become. Yet, my love wasn't ever enough, was it?" Kagome now stood face to face with Inuyasha. Tears began to form in her eyes as she tried to find the man she had once loved in this youkai's face. "Did I really mean that little to you?"

"No!" Inuyasha cried. "You are and have always been everything to me since the beginning. I... I've always cared about you, even when you thought otherwise." Kagome stared at Inuyasha vacantly as her mind went into overload.

"What?"

Inuyasha stared sullenly at Kagome as she continued to pace the room. The surprising declaration on his part had shocked her more than she would care to admit. To think he cared about her and to hear him admit the words aloud were two completely different scenarios.

'This is too much.' Kagome thought silently to herself. 'What does this all mean?'

Kagome stopped pacing and stared poignantly at the youkai in front of her. She clenched her jaw tightly and came to a resolution in her mind.

'This has got to stop.' She decided in her thoughts.

Kaogme slowly walked to Inuyasha and sat down beside him. Inuyasha brought his gaze from the miko in the room to the floor once again. Shame marred his features as he once again thought of the scars on Kagome's body. Scars he could have prevented. Scars he had inflicted himself.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome gave the silent question in her voice as the youkai slowly looked back at her. "What happened?" She continued.

Inuyasha sat rigidly as the unexpected question popped up from her mouth. The "why's," the "how's," and all the other emotional questions he been prepared for, but a simple "what happened?" threw him off course completly. He struggled to keep eye contact with Kagome as he re-collected himself and forced his body to relax itself. It would not do too well to let his body do the talking in this case.

"I lost control. Plain and simple." The short answer kept him from any sort of emotional outburst or tearful confessions. He needed to be strong for her. Even if she didn't necessarily like it.

A raised eyebrow and a slight frown was Kagome's only response as she continued to stare at Inuyasha. The look seemed to say what Kagome didn't have to.

That's not enough.

Inuyasha took a deep breath and steeled himself as he piked himself up from off the bed. He paced for a second before standing still with his arms crossed in front of his non-visible chest. His posture screamed anxiousness as Kagome voiced the questions on her mind. "Control? And just how did you lose your control? And what does that have to do with me of all people?"

"I lost CONTROL! What more is there to say? I tasted your blood and that's it! I couldn't... I couldn't..." Inuyasha fell to his knees as he began to mumble incoherently to himself as his laboured breathing infiltrated the room. Kaogme stared at Inuyasha once again, this time in bewilderment.

'Tasted my blood? When did he... ?'

Kagome gasped as the memories began to roll though her mind. Images flashed through her mind's eye as the realizations reeled in and the dots began to connect...

_"Ah!" Kagome screamed in shock. Inuyasha's eyes widened as he opeded his mouth to ask if she was alright. Blood gushed fromthe small scratch on her arm, which had been victim to particularly sharp piece of tree bark. _

_Blood slowly dripped on her hand as she clamped it over his partially open mouth. "I'm fine, Inuyasha. Jeez, you're such a worry wart." Kagome rolled her eyes as she continued onward._

_She entered the village and found Kaede's hut, ready to clean up the semi small cut, not noticing Inuyasha's statue like form. _

_Gold eyes then began to bleed a subtle red around the edges as the remains of Kagome's blood dripped from his lips..._

"You... all that time, the demon... ?" Confusion Flooded the miko's eyes as she stared forlornly at the former hanyou's back. Answers to questions began to reel in, but more questions came forth as earlier ones were finally dismissed. "You're demon was in complete control? But... that's never happened before? How is it possible?!"

Inuyasha looked dow at the floor as he stayed silent. What was there for him to say?

Finally, after a few long moments of silence, a sigh escaped Inuyasha's lips as he sat back down on Kagome's bed. Confusion clouded his features as he put his hands together on his lap and leaned his head down. "I honestly don't know. All I do know is that ever since that day, I'll just spontaneously black out for days at a time and wake up in different places, never remembering how it is I got there. It's... it's..."

"Frustrating?" Kagome provided helplessly. Kagome stared at the youkai in anguish as it became more and more apparent that he was telling the truth.

He really didn't know what was going on.

"So what you're saying is that even now, your demon blood is over taking you? But Inuyasha... that doesn't make any sense." Inuyasha sharply turned his head at the miko beside him as Kagome sucked in a breath at the sudden movement. Harsh red eyes looked deeply into azure blue as Inuyasha's mouth formed a thin line over his face. "Are you saying you don't believe me, Kagome?"

"No!" Kagome exclaimed. "I'm not saying that at all! But... you have to think about it, Inuyasha. If you're full youkai now, how is you're demon possessing you, **still**? Aren't you technically youkai all the time?"

Inuyasha's eyes darted from place to place as he submerged himself deep into his own thoughts. 'She's right, isn't she? How is my demon blood still taking over if I'm now full demon?'

"I think I have a theory, Inuyasha, but you may not agree with it." Bluish-gray eyes glittered in the breaking of twilight as Kagome oddly smiled. An old joy as sneaking up behind her starry eyed gaze, as an old light began to pulse back into her soul's being.

He wouldn't like this, indeed.

Inuyasha calmly stared back at her as he contemplated his answer. "There's no way your 'theory' could not hurt more than not having an answer at all." For a moment, Kagome looked over him full of remorse, but the light once again crept back into her eyes.

"Well, if you promise not to freak out..." Kagome gently teased him as she hesitantly patted his head. Inuyasha in turn rolled his eyes in response. "I think you're still not full demon."

Inuyasha could only stare at her as if she had two heads.

"Think about it! You're still talking about yourself as if you were two separate entities. And there's no way your youkai blood could possess your human blood when there's none there to possess. The Shikon no Tama didn't grant your wish, Inuyasha." Kagome blurted out all at once. Inuyasha continued to look at her as if she was an alien throughout her whole semi-speech rambling.

"Kagome..." Inuyasha began patronizingly, "I don't know if you've noticed, but I didn't look like this when I was a hanyou." Inuyasha put emphasis on his elongated fangs, tattoo marking and gleaming crimson eyes. Without knowingly doing so, his sharper claws were demonstrated as they pierced through the cloth of his fir rat haori without him actually noticing. Kaogme simply rolled her eyes as she pushed him off the bed and pulled him towards her mirror.

"This," Kagome began, "is nothing." Kagome pointed to the reflection almost accusingly as she continued. "So your face changed. And? Don't you see, Inuyasha? Your soul is still the same. Your human self still lives inside of you!"

Inuyasha peered at his reflection and gently bit his lip. All he had ever wanted was to be whole- to fit in. Even after all the battles and sacrifice, he still did not feel like he was a full person. If anything, e felt as if his own reflection was a mockery of the stability he had always craved. Yeah, demon looking on the outside, but still...

Different on the inside.

Inuyasha then looked at Kagome's reflection and frowned slightly at the sight. If what she was saying was true, then why was all this happening? What was goin on inside the crevices of his own mind and body to create all this chaos? Was it really he, himself that had inflicted all that damage on Kagome, or somebody else?

Or some**thing** else for that matter.

"Kagome..." Kagome looked into his eyes as gold once again began to leak into the crimson irises of his eyes. Kagome sqweezed the former hanyou tightly against her as she leaned in just a bit closer in anticipation...

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGG!!!!!!!!

Kagome stumbled back from the embrace in shock as Inuyasha clasped his ears in pure agony. The miko looked over her shoulder and frowned as she banged the alarm clock off. "Inuyasha..." Kagome began, but she never got a chance to finish the thought.

The room had been suddenly vacated without her noticing.


	5. What I've Done

Author's Notes: Yes! Goal met with some time to spare, bitches! Tee hee. Happy birthday to me! Now, for the next chapter, I'm doing something I never thought I'd actually have to do: stalling for reviews. If I get 15 reviews, I'll have the chapter up by Sept. 29. If by some random miracle I get 25 reviews, I'll try to get up by either the 25th or the 26th. C'mon, I'll even count them as birthday presents!

Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha, and mostly definitely don't own "What I've Done" by Linkin Park. Boo fucking hoo. ((pouts))

* * *

**_Bold/Italics: Voice_**

_Italics: Flashback_

'Blah': Thoughts

* * *

Excerpt from "What I've Done" by Linkin Park

"What I've done...

I've faced myself

To cross out what I've become...

Erase myself and let go of what I've done.

Put to rest what you thought of me

While I clean this slate

With the hands of uncertainity.

So let mercy come, and wash away-

What I've done...

I've faced myself

To cross out what I've become...

Erase myself and let go of what I've done.

I start again

And whatever pain may come,

Today this ends;

I'm forgiving what I've done."

* * *

**Scars**

Chapter Five: What I've Done

Forest foliage sped by as a youkai dressed in all red flew on his feet. What was he running from? It was much too difficult to tell, even in his own mind, but maybe that in itself was hat propelled him to continue to run. A confused mind never thought clearly at first, and rarely slowed down to catch its breath.

Crimson eyes shaded in gold darted from side to side in a harried fashion as elongated clawed hands clenched spontaneously. A thousand thoughtscoursed through his mind and each was equally as quickly discarded. Blue eyes flashed in his minds eye as the youkai growled in malcontent. Kagome always seemed to get stuck with the shit end of the stick with him, even when he meant well.

'Meant well,' he thought viciously to himself, 'or just took the easy way out? Again!'

In a second, the fervent running slowed considerably until fInuyasha came to a complete halt. Deep, harsh breaths invaded the silence as the former hanyou's chest went up and down unevenly. Inuyasha flopped onto the ground and knelt in the rich soil as he collected himself.

"How can this be possible?" Inuyasha whispered hesitatingly. Striking silvery white wisps of hair obscured the youkai's vision as he continued to stare at the trees around him. He seemed so lost...

"Inuyasha."

Youkai ears perked up in caution as Inuyasha quickly picked himself up and dusted off his hakama. The air of arrogance began to suffocate his senses as he turned around and faced the person intruding on his personal reflection.

"Sesshoumaru."

Golden amber eyes studied the former hanyou in front of them as a gleam of understanding crept within the blank facade. Sesshoumaru took two steps before Inuyasha took a defensive stance. The youkai narrowed his eyes in unknown agitation as he began to speak. "This Sesshoumaru does not wish to speak to _this _Inuyasha."

A look of warranted confusion clouded Inuyasha's face before his whole body became rigid and an empty look came across Inuyasha's features. His tinted amber eyes became engulfed in red as a malignant frown spread across Inuyasha's lips.

"I'm listening..."

* * *

Bluish gray eyes twitched in frustration as the young woman reading the book in front of her fought to concentrate on the material. Instead of focusing on the subject of nature vs. nurture, her mind kept wandering to the night before. 

'We were so close; closer than we'd been in so long. Did what I say really cause him to have such a bad reaction? Why didn't he just try to talk about it!'

"Gah!" Kagome groaned outloud as she slammed the Psychology book on her nightstand. Her bed was abandoned as she stood up and strode outside, sighing as the light spring breeze flowed through her hair. Azure eyes closed in total relaxation as Kagome stretched her arms out above her head.

The Gohimboku's branches danced merrily in the gentle breeze as leaves began to spiral on the ground. Kagome smiled as she stuck out her hand and caught a single leaf within her palm. She twirled it gently by its stem as she continued to walk forward.

The shrine grounds were virtually never changing, and she was sure her grandfather wouldn't have it any other way. Kagome of course felt the same. This was home, and to change it would just bring a chaos of emotions she'd rather not have to deal with; at least not now...

Inuyasha once again crept into her line of thought as the well house came into view. Kagome frowned as she continued on, opening the well house door and shutting it as she entered inside. The well looked the same, heck, it even smelled the same. But there was something different about it today. Something almost...

Foreboding.

A shiver ran down the miko's spine as she cautiously took a step closer to the well. She felt the air around her crackle with unseen power as her eyes widened in shock.

Power. Pure, unrestrained power. And it completely surrounded the well...

That was Kagome's last thought before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell to the floor.

* * *

"So, you are the one whom haunt's this half breed. Tell me, what is it you seek in this masquerade?" Sesshoumaru's stoic voice filled the empty void of silence between both youkai. Golden amber challenged crimson red as both male's stood their ground. 

Both were battle ready, motioned to strike at the slightest bit of danger. One more so than the other, however.

"What I seek," rasped the now savage looking youkai mockingly, "is something you couldn't possibly know about." Elongated fangs draped over the former hanyou's lips as he sneered menacingly at the demon lord in front of him. Sesshoumaru merely lifted a delicate eyebrow up in question as he simply stared at the beast in front of him.

"You mean power?" Sesshoumaru lifted his lips in a barely noticeable smirk. Inuyasha simply blinked as he tilted his head to the side. "Or is it more complex than that? Do you seek... control?"

Blood began to drip down Inuyasha's palms as claws easily pierced angrily through calloused skin. "Control..." whispered the rough voice. "What do you know?"

"Enough." Stated Sesshoumaru before he turned the direction he arrived in. "This Sesshoumaru does not wish to speak with either of you any longer."

Inuyasha snarled angrily as the full blodded youkai walked away without so much of a bat of an eyelash. He began to trail after the emotionless demon lord before a look of blankness overcame his hostile features. Crimson eyes faded into amber gold as the youkai fell to the ground in a heap of limbs. Only then did Sesshoumaru turn around and look at his fallen brother.

"Soon you will see for yourself what a quest for such control will earn you, fool."

* * *

"Nggh..." Drowsy golden red eyes opened wearily as Inuyasha slowly came to. "Wha... what happened?" 

Inuyasha desperately tried to remember what could have possibly happened when one sudden thought struck a chord in his mind.

"Sesshoumaru..."

Inuyasha got up, prepared to hunt down the bastard and demand to know what the hell happened when another sudden memory, this one much more prominent, flashed through his mind's eye.

_Inuyasha looked dow at the floor as he stayed silent. What was there for him to say?_

_Finally, after a few long moments of silence, a sigh escaped Inuyasha's lips as he sat back down on Kagome's bed. Confusion clouded his features as he put his hands together on his lap and leaned his head down. "I honestly don't know. All I do know is that ever since that day, I'll just spontaneously black out for days at a time and wake up in different places, never remembering how it is I got there. It's... it's..."_

_"Frustrating?" Kagome provided helplessly. Kagome stared at the youkai in anguish as it became more and more apparent that he was telling the truth._

_He really didn't know what was going on._

"Frustrating is right, Kagome. For so many things..." Inuyasha whispered into the breeze as he growned and turned the other direction and left as well.

* * *

_**Kagome...**_

Azure eyes stayed closed as a mysterious feminine voice crept into Kagome's ear. Warmth encased the young miko as she floated merrily in her own oblivion.

_**Kagome, wake up...**_

"Leave me alone." Came the raspy, mumbled reply from the drowsy miko as she began to regain her bearings. Dim blue eyes blearily opened slowly as Kagome picked herself up from her elbows. Confusion filtered her mind as she found herself in the dimlighted well house. "What am I doing in here?"

_**That's a good question, Kagome. Look in front of you, and you'll see the answer. **_

Kagome hastily ignored the voice only she could hear and pulled herself up from off the ground. Kagome stood wobbly for a moment before reaching forward and grabbing onto the closest item in her vicinity.

_**I guess that solves that problem.**_

A jolt of power vibrated through her whole being as Kagome tightly grasped the rim of the well before letting it go in a split second with a shocked gasp. Azure eyes stared down at the well in awe as the remnants of pure undiluted power radiated off her fingers.

"What does this mean..." Kagome asked suddenly. "You heard me, you stupid voice, what does this mean!" Silence was the only reply Kagome recieved as the young miko began to shake in anticapation.

Kagome took a step back as the power began to grow stronger by the second. Fear clouded her eyes as long buried survivor instincts kicked into overdrive and she quickly ran out of the well house in complete fright and panic.

_**You'll get your answer soon enough, Kagome.**_

* * *

"Oi! Kaede-Baba! Get your old ass out here!" Golden red eyes narrowed in contempt as the villagers around him began to either back away from him in fear or stare at him in recognition. Either way, it was really starting to piss Inuyasha off. "Come on, old hag! Get out here already! I know you're in there..." 

A stirring in the air gave way to what was to come as Inuyasha flipped to his left side, barely managing to avoid an arrow to his heart. "What the hell... ?" he whispered in shock.

"Inuyasha." As the name was spoken, out stepped Kaede in full miko garb with her bow and quiver full of arrows to match. A frown pitched on the older looking miko's face as she cautiously stared at the youkai in front of her. "What do you want? We have nothing more to offer you here, after what you did to Kagome..."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed as the accusation hit him right in the chest and heart. A part of him recognized that Kaede had plenty to be mad about, especially when concerning Kagome, but another part of him had finally realized that he had had as little control over the whole situation as Kagome had. He had been just as used, just on a much more subtle level.

"Back off, old lady. I'm not here to fight you, I need-" Inuyasha hesitated as the words began to form in his mind. 'I need help? Like she'll believe that one!' Inuyasha snarked in petulance.

The youkai barely had any more time to think before another arrow whizzed right by his head. His heart began to pound as he looked over at Kaede and saw her readying to cock another arrow on her bow. Before she could raise the bow any higher, Inuyasha slowly raised his hands up in surrender. Kaede raised her only visible eye brow as she contemplated the non-threatening action and cautiously lowered the arrow and bow in confusion. "I just came here to talk, Kaede. That's all."

For a moment, it looked as if Kaede was not going to heed his request for a peaceful (semi-peaceful) talk (kind of), but then her bow fully lowered from a defensive stance and the scowl removed itself from the older looking miko's face as a more passive frown took its place. Kaede stayed silent for another moment before she nodded her head in consent and walked back into her hut.

Inuyasha breathed in a sigh of relief as he followed Kaede inside and prepared himself for what was to come.

'Don't screw this up, don't screw this up, please, oh please mouth, don't fucking screw this up!'

* * *

Kagome continued to stare out her window as night began to fall. It had so far been two days since her last encounter with Inuyasha and a day and a half since her panic attack with the well, and it was all leaving her feeling very uneasy. Bluish gray eyes shimmered in the darkening light as Kagome leaned on her window sill. 

'Where is he?' Kagome thought silently to herself. The moment Inuyasha had disappeared from her room, a distinct feeling of emptiness had crept inside of her, itching a part of her she just couldn't scratch.

"C'mon Inuyasha, why haven't you come back yet? I'm not gonna sit here and wait forever!" Kagome complained outloud.

_**You don't have to, you know. **_

Kagome groaned as the voice once again permeated her mind. A rare scowl settled itself over her lips as the you miko crossed her arms over her chest in irritation. "Now you want to talk? What gives?"

Kagome slowly waited for the response and began to become more agitated once no voice could be heard once again. Before Kagome could give up and just crawl into bed in a huff, something began to tickle in Kagome's ear.

_**If you want an answer, go to the well. There you'll find what you are looking for. **_

Kagome stiffened in fear and panic once the well was mentioned. "I can't... I, I don't know what it is, but I just can't go near the well without this, this-"

_**Panicked, scared feeling? **_

Kagome frowned as her feelings were described in full. "Yeah... how did you-"

_**I feel and see everything you do, Kagome. The power you feel pulsating through the well is what both pulls and pushes you away from it. In order to conquer this fear, you must conquer the obstacle set in your place that arises such emotions.**_

"You can't mean..." Kagome drifted off unnecessarily.

_**Yes, Kagome. You must go to the well and travel back into time once more to face both the surge of power and the scars you now hold.**_


End file.
